Tehrathum. The farmers here have started cultivating sisno commercially as the demand for sisnu has increased in star hotels operating in the federal capital Kathmandu as well as in different parts of the country.

Commercial cultivation of sisno has started in Chaite Community Forest of Laligurans Municipality-1. Sisnu has also been planted on private land around the forest. Indra Bahadur Khadka, chairman of the consumer committee, said that the committee has a plan to plant sisnu saplings in one hectare out of 365 hectares of the community forest.

Chaite Community Forest has received a machine worth Rs 1 million in the current fiscal year under the state government’s herbal development and management programme through the Division Forest Office. Chairman Khadka said that there is a plan to operate the machine from coming July and bring the dust of Sisnu to the market.

“At present, private land is being sold in local hotels and markets, and we have planted sisnu in vacant land in the forest area as it does not meet the demand by bringing machines to the dust market,” he said. According to him, there is a plan to install sisnu processing machines from Mid-July to transport local, patle and allo varieties of sisnu dust to the international market.

The capital of Gurans is located in Tinjure Laligurans Municipality in Tinjure-Milke-Jaljale (TMJ) area. Basantapur of Laligurans Municipality attracts tourists. Yashoda Karki, owner of Tute Deurali Himganga Guest House in Basantapur, said that tourists coming to the hotel have to choose the choice. According to him, every hotel in Basantapur market cooks sisnu dishes.

Locals take them to hotels in the market. Rupa Rai, owner of Rupa Store, said that the passengers and tourists traveling through Basantapur market often buy sisnu. “Every day, I send at least one vehicle from Basantapur to the terai districts,” he said.

Ramesh Gurung, 60, and his wife Harkamaya, 60, of Dharmadevi rural municipality-1 of Sankhuwasabha, who are temporarily living in Tehrathuma, bring the sisnu to the hotel in Basantapur to sell it. According to the Gurung couple, they used to return home after earning up to Rs 1,500 by selling sisnu at Rs 25 to Rs 30 per handful. They said that they used to pick up private land and the seeds grown in the forest.

The demand for lake leaves has increased as it is delicious. Deputy Chief of the District Coordination Committee, Karki, said that initiatives have been taken to provide sisnu processing machines to the community forest as the Laligurans municipality area produces a lot of cemetery.

Mayor of Laligurans Municipality, Arjun Babu Mabuhang, said that efforts are being made to promote sisnu to the international market by focusing on the commercial cultivation and labeling and packaging of its dust.